Again and again I am saying that I do not have to get all these questions if you cannot come up with them. There will be many, many questions that you yourselves, as individuals, will be able to answer. Right now there are many questions that you as an individual, he as an individual or she as an individual cannot answer. But there is a particular place in the inner world. If you can go there, if you can knock at the door, the answer is bound to come.
There is one question that embodies all the millions of questions that can be asked, and that question is: do I need God sleeplessly and breathlessly? Do I really need Him? If that one question we do not have deep within, then we shall have to wait indefinitely for all the answers. Only one question we need: do I really need God, desperately, sleeplessly and breathlessly? Inside this question are all the answers to all the questions.
Today, by God’s Grace, I am answering your spiritual questions, but I wish to tell you that there is no spiritual question, born or unborn, that I will not be able to answer. When it is a matter of scientific questions, I am not in that line, so what am I going to do? But again, from the inner world I will be able to answer any question. If my physical mind does not know the answer, in a second I can go and ask my soul, or the Supreme will tell me the answer.
I sincerely needed God. That is why He became the Question, He became the Answer. When you also really need God, then inside your question you will find the answer. What more can I say?
Inside each question, there is the answer. It depends on the need. It may happen that for five minutes someone needs God and then for ten hours the same person does not need God. But if that individual can add those ten hours to his five minutes, do you not think that he will make much more progress?
I have answered thousands of questions and I may answer a few thousand more. But the question is, from these thousands of answers, how many people have derived benefit? I have four thousand disciples. Do you think that after I leave this world I will be confined to four thousand? No, my boat will contain many, many passengers! At that time, millions and millions of non-disciples will read my writings. Now if they do not read or cannot read, it is because my writings are not available.
But I shall not have to wait for any prize to be known by the world at large. After twenty years or thirty years, or even ten years, you will see what happens. My disciples will all live on earth for ten years, twenty years or more. Soon you will be able to know how many thousands and millions of people are reading my books. The time has already come but, unfortunately, the books are not yet available.
To come back to your question, I have already answered thousands of questions. Again, there are many, many questions still unasked. I have the capacity to answer and I get joy by answering your questions. That is why I am begging you to ask.
All of you know so much about my philosophy. My philosophy encompasses all the philosophies, believe me. The essence or quintessence of the Vedas and the Upanishads, which is our Indian philosophy, and even the Christian Bible are all inside my philosophy. I have gathered everything and perhaps I have gone beyond. Even if some people say that I have not gone beyond, at least they can say that I have gathered the fragrance of Eastern spirituality and Western spirituality. In my case, I give the honey right from the heart, very delicately, very lovingly and very affectionately.
If I get the opportunity to answer more questions, I will answer them. Some people have definitely derived benefit from my answers. But, to my sorrow, I have to say that there will be people who do not get me as their direct Master who will derive much more benefit from my writings than many of my present disciples. Future generations will take me much more seriously than the present generation, much more.
And again, if more of the present generation, who have been with me from the beginning, had taken me more seriously, then I could have been of greater help to humanity. People who have not accepted my path consciously or openly, I could have helped much more. I am saying this in all sincerity.
Sri Ramakrishna’s sixteen main disciples were with him only for six years. Look at their receptivity! For the last two years or two and a half years Swami Vivekananda did not live at home, but most of the time the disciples were coming and going from their Master’s place, to be in his presence. My disciples have had me for thirty years, perhaps even more. Definitely Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples took him much more seriously than many of my disciples have taken me.
Now, you can say that to get the Master for a long time is either a blessing or a curse! I can say the same: to have disciples for a long time is either a blessing or a curse. God knows which is the truth! I can easily say, “For the first two or three years they were so good that it was a blessing. Now, in the case of those who have descended, it is a curse.” Similarly, you can say, “For the first two years after we joined the path, Guru was so compassionate, so affectionate, that it was a blessing. Now, if he does not look at us, it is like a curse!” But by saying it is a blessing or a curse, we will not go one step ahead. Only by becoming something, becoming somebody, will we make progress.
When you read The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, you see that most of the time in the evenings Sri Ramakrishna and his disciples had conversations. Sri Aurobindo also had some conversations for a few years with a small number of disciples. At that time Sri Aurobindo answered many, many questions. In my case, I have said many things and, by your grace, it is all recorded. I have also written considerably. I say it is like a supermarket. Hundreds of items are in the supermarket. You take whatever you like and place it in your heart-home; another person will take whatever he likes and place it in his heart-home.
There are some spiritual Masters who have not written, who have not spoken. They did not get the opportunity to tell the highest Truths. There are many, many questions which you have asked me over the years, for example, which are not in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. In no way am I criticising Sri Ramakrishna or his disciples. Sri Ramakrishna could have answered any spiritual question, but his disciples got him for only six years. It is unfortunate that they could not ask him everything during this time. I am fortunate that I got you for thirty years. Again, this moment we feel we are fortunate, and next moment we feel we are unfortunate!
There is such a difference between reading Sri Ramakrishna’s own Bengali words in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna and reading the English translations. The English is perfect, but the very breath of Sri Ramakrishna’s Bengali words, how can you translate? His affection-flooded village words cannot be translated. Great writers have tried, but I do not know how much justice they can do, no matter how perfect their English is. But somehow the world has to get Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings. If you cannot get nectar, at least be satisfied with milk. And if you do not get milk, then you have to be satisfied with water. At least water is giving you life. People who know Bengali will definitely profit more from the original Bengali.
In my case, I am writing and speaking in English and you are all English-speaking people. You are lucky and I am lucky that you are getting the message firsthand.
There was a time when Indian scholars said that in English there cannot be mantric utterances. They bragged that only our forefathers, the Vedic Seers, could speak the language of the heart, the language of the soul. They said that mantras could only be found in Sanskrit. I did not agree, and I am sorry to say that I will never agree. If you have to make a comparison, the Sanskrit language has infinitely more mantric utterances, soul-stirring utterances, than the English-speaking world. But again, to say that the English-speaking world has not given birth to mantras is absurdity. Many, many utterances in English can be taken as mantric utterances.From:Sri Chinmoy,You belong to God, Agni Press, 2012
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